We are a little under a month away from the commencement of the 2014-2015 NBA season, and more importantly, the third year in Brooklyn for the Nets. After failing to meet the high expectations the Nets were given after their spending frenzy last offseason, the Nets have decided to take a new approach to the season with a new coach.

The Nets are not receiving as much attention as they were last season, but certainly have a good enough team to build off on last season's postseason run. With Paul Pierce and Shaun Livingston out of the picture, the Nets were able to reel in Jarrett Jack, Bojan Bogdanovic, and other complementary players to fill those holes. 

However, one of the players that remains on the roster and serves perhaps the most important role on the team is none other than star point guard, Deron Williams. Williams has struggled to live up to the expectations that GM Billy King envisioned him fulfilling when he was acquired from the Utah Jazz back in 2011.

Entering his fourth season with the Nets, Deron Williams has a huge chip on his shoulder that only he can remove. Deron struggled mightily in his first two seasons in Brooklyn, partially due to the fact that he dealt with a coach (Avery Johnson), whose system was not in accordance with Deron; he is now gone. Then, P.J. Carlesimo and Jason Kidd were inexperienced in actual coaching, so Deron really never bought into their systems; they're gone as well. 

In their two seasons in Brooklyn, the Nets have cycled through three head coaches (Avery Johnson, P.J. Carlesimo, Jason Kidd). Now, new head coach Lionel Hollins steps into the 'gauntlet' in Brooklyn to revive the Deron Williams that Nets fans have been waiting for.  

What has gone wrong with the Deron Williams that the Nets gave a max contract to with hopes of the stellar play that had critics rating him the best point guard in the NBA? There's not a single answer, but there are several things that have pointed to his quality of play.

First of all, he's been hurt A LOT! It has almost become a routine to hear about Williams not playing at 100 percent. However, after Williams opted to go for surgery this offseason on both of his troublesome ankles, he's expected to get back on track and be more agile. Secondly, last season was very strange for D-Will as he had to defer to the likes of players like Shaun Livingston, Paul Pierce, and Joe Johnson in Jason Kidd's 'small ball' lineup.  Williams was not content about having to defer, but part of the game is about putting the team first. This season, Williams is back in control of the ball handling duties, so there's no excuse for Williams to not average at least 8 assists per game. 

Lastly, but most importantly, Deron Williams' biggest obstacle has been Deron Williams. Deron has admitted that he has psychologically removed himself from games, and that has been an obvious deterioration to his quality of play. He has turned the ball over multiple times, and his decision making has not been anywhere near the level where it should be.

Hollins is in charge now, and his disciplinarian style of coaching should keep Deron on top of his game. A defensive minded coach like Hollins should aid Deron in becoming much more than an offensive focused guard. The Nets defense under Hollins will be able to create more opportunities on the floor and with Bogdanovic becoming more of a possibility to fill in the shooting guard position, D-Will now has another weapon at his disposal.

That being said, both parties here have big shoes to fill in, and a chip to remove off their shoulders. Can Hollins prove to be a stable coach for the Nets despite previous failures? On the other hand, can Deron Williams become the player he once used to be? Can he put the past behind him and propel this Nets team to a championship run?

Deron has always been referred to as a 'coach killer', but Hollins made a great comment when asked about his thoughts on the topic the other day at the Nets media day.

Lionel Hollins, when asked about Deron Williams having a reputation as a coach killer: "Well, I have a rep as a player killer."

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) September 26, 2014

Deron has certainly gotten coaches fired in the past, there's no question about it. The question is, can Hollins kill that side of Deron Williams?

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About the author
Antonio Santiago
Antonio is both an NHL and NBA staff writer. His articles will mainly cover the Ottawa Senators and Brooklyn Nets, but you can also find him writing about other sports.